Dispenser and slide valve for use therein

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for the gravity assisted dispensing of selected quantities of viscous fluids is disclosed. The dispensing apparatus includes a slide valve having a slide member shaped to cooperate with a dispensing aperture to terminate flow without any excess as the valve is operated in the closing direction. The slide member further carries an O-ring seal which circumscribes the dispensing aperture to prevent leakage with the valve in the fully closed position. Spring pin means is provided to limit the movement of the slide member in at least a first direction and to retain the slide member in a cooperative relationship with the remainder of the dispenser.

United States Patent 1 3,814,294 Stevenson June 4, 1974 41 DISPENSER ANDSLIDE VALVE FOR USE THEREIN Inventor: Robert S. Stevenson, 44 Champ St.,

Middletown, Conn. 06457 Filed: Aug. 13, 1973 Appl. No.: 387,743

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1914 Lynam; 222/561 5/1929Fullerton 222/561 3/1938 Wolcott 222/185 X 8/1941 Berhardt 222/561 XFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 5/1926 France 251/326 PrimaryExaminer-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-John P. Shannon 5 7ABSTRACT Apparatus for the gravity assisted dispensing of selectedquantities of viscous fluids is disclosed. The dispensing apparatusincludes a slide valve having a slide member shaped to cooperate with adispensing aperture to terminate flow without any excess as the valve isoperated in the closing direction. The slide member further carries anO-ring seal which circumscribes the dispensing aperture to preventleakage with the valve in the fully closed position. Spring pin means isprovided to limit the movement of the slide member in at least a firstdirection and to retain the slide member in a cooperative relationshipwith the remainder of the dispenser.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 DISPENSER AND SLIDE VALVE FOR USETHEREIN' BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thepresent invention relates to the dispensing of liquids. Morespecifically, this invention is directed to a slide valve mechanism foruse in the dispensing of liquids. Accordingly, the general objects ofthe present invention are to provide novel and improved method andapparatus of such character.

2. Description of the Prior Art While not limited thereto in itsutility, the present invention has been found to be particularly wellsuited for use in the dispensing of soap solutions and particularlyliquid shampoos. There are, of course, numerous dispensers available inthe prior art wherein an operator can release from a storage container aquantity of liquid by means of operating a plunger connected to a valve.Some of these prior art devices have found utility in the dispensing ofsoap solutions. The solutions employed in these prior art dispensershave been comparatively thin and the dispensers have been plagued withboth leakage problems and dripping when the flow control valve wasclosed.

Many shampoos are presently sold in glass bottles and there is adefinite trend to increased packaging in glass since this material canbe recycled. The use of a glass shampoo bottle in a tub or showerenclosure presents an obvious safety hazard. Accordingly, a desire hasdeveloped for a dispenser which could receive the contents of a glassshampoo bottle and thereafter release the shampoo in controllablequantities; such a device typically being intended for affixation to awall of a bath or shower enclosure. When compared to soap solutions,shampoos are very viscous and the dispensing of such viscous materialspresents peculiar problems in addition to those which, as brieflydiscussed above, have plagued prior art dispensers. Foremost theseadditional'problems is the fact that most liquid shampoos tend tocoagulate relatively quickly'and thus, if employed in a conventionalprior art soap solution dispenser, would dry on surfaces therebyaggravating the leakage problem and/or causing binding of the movingmember of the valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the abovebriefly discussed and other deficiencies and disadvantages of the priorart by providing a novel and improved device particularly well suitedfor the dispensing of viscous materials such as liquid shampoos.Apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a reservoirdefining portion and, cooperating with the base thereof, a unique slidevalve mechanism. The slide valve mechanism includes a slide memberhaving an O- ring mounted thereon. This slide member cooperates with adispensing aperture in the base of the reservoir in such a manner thatthe O-ring is coaxial with the dispensing aperture with the valvemechanism in the closed position. The slide mechanism is also providedwith a shaped slot which is aligned with the aperture in the base of thereservoir in the dispensing position; the slide slot being shaped so asto cut off flow from the reservoir without any dripping when the valveis moved from the open to the closed position. In order to prevent anydistortion of or damage to the O-ring as the slide is moved, thedispensing aperture in the base of the reservoir is divided into twosections by a bar which is aligned with the direction of movement of theslide; the O-ring riding across the dispensing aperture on the bar. Theinvention also includes a locking mechanism which prevents completewithdrawal of the slide from the base of the reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The present invention may be betterunderstood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparentto those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawingwherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the severalfigures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser device in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the slide valve of the dispensingmechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side elevation view, taken along line 33 ofFIG. 2, showing additional details of a slide valve in accordance withthe present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional rear elevation view, taken along line 44 ofFIG. 3, of a slide valve in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention a dispenser includes a container orreservoir indicated generally at 10. Container 10 is mounted to a wallby means of a mounting plate, such as plate 12 of FIG. 2, and isremovable therefrom. Container 10 may be filled with a liquid to bedispensed, for example a shampoo, by means of an opening in the topthereof which is provided with a removable cap 14. In the dis closedembodiment the container 10 is formed of two integral portions 16 and 18and the base 20 of portion 18 cooperates, in the manner to be describedbelow, with a slide valve mechanism indicated generally at 22 in FIG. Ito perform a valving function for release of quantities of liquid fromcontainer 10. Referring jointly to FIGS. 2-4, the slide valve mecha nism22 includes a generally T-shaped slide member 24. A grip portion 26projects downwardly from the forward end of slide member 24 and serves,as may be seen from FIG. 1, as the means by which the slide may bereciprocated with respect to base 20 of container 10. The slide member24 is provided, in its upper surface, with a circular recess 28. AnO-ring seal 30 is positioned in recess 28; the thickness of the O-ringbeing slightly in excess of the depth of the recess 28. The slide member24 is, as may be seen from FIG. 2, provided with a cutout 32 at the enddisposed opposite to the grip portion 26. The cutout 32 is shaped, atits inwardly disposed end, so as to insure flow shut-off without anyexcess or dripping. The slide member 24 is also provided with a cutoutor groove 34 which extends partly along one longitudinal side of theslide member. Groove 34 serves, in the manner to be described below, toat least partly limit the degree of movement of the slide member 24.

The base 20 of container 10, as may best be seen from FIG. 4 includes anintegral downwardly projecting portion 36 which defines a track in whichthe slide member 24 moves. The outwardly extending arms of 3 generallyT-shaped slide member 24 are supported for movement on oppositelydisposed shoulders of recessed grooves in either side of the projection36. Thus, considering FIG. 4, the projection 36 comprises a pair ofoppositely facing L-shaped flanges which define, therebetween, a groovewhich communicates with the base of container 10. The base 20 of thecontainer is, in the vicinity of this groove, provided with a dispensingaperture 38. With the'slide valve in the open or dispensing position, asshown in FIG. 2, dispensing aperture 38 is in registration with cutout32 in slide 24. With the valve in the closed position, as depicted inFIG. 3, aperture 38 is coaxial with and surrounded by the O-ring seal 30carried by slide 24.

Aperture 38 in the base 20 of container 10 is bridged by a bar 40. Thebar 40 extends along a diameter of aperture 38 which is aligned with thedirection of motion of slide member 24. Incorporation of bar 40 in theslide valve insures that the O-ring 30 will not be subject to wear ordistortion by engagement with the edge ofaperture 38 duringreciprocation.

The slide valve assembly also includes a spring pin 42. The spring pinengages, at its lower smaller diameter end, an aperture providedtherefore in the L-shaped flange of projection 36 which is on the sameside of slide 24 as the groove 34. The pin 42 cooperates with theshoulders which define the opposite ends of groove 34 to limit thedegree of motion of slide member 24.

In assemblying the dispensing mechanism, the O-ring 30 is placed inrecess 28 in slide member 24. Thereafter, the slide is inserted in thebase with the arms of the T-shaped member 24 supported by the recessed Igrooves in projection 36. Thereafter the pin 42 will be inserted fromthe top of the aperture provided there fore in the base member. Thedispenser is now ready for use.

In use, the slide 24 is manually reciprocated by means of grip 26. Whenpulled to the opened position of FIG. 2 liquid will be dispensed asshown in FIG. 1. When it is desired to terminate the dispensing actionslide 24 will he pushed inwardly to the closed position shown in FIG. 3.As the slide moves to the closed position the shaped cutout 32 willserve to pinch off flow through aperture 38 and thus flow will beterminated without any dripping. The O-ring 30 will be lubricated by theliquid in container 10. Although not necessarily for operation, sincethe function can be accomplished by means of cooperation between pin 42and the shoulders which define groove 34, the projection 36 may also beprovided with an extension 44 which is aligned with and has an endcommensurate in shape with the shape of the cutout 32 at the inwardlydisposed end of slide member 24. With the slide fully inserted, so as toestablish a seated relationship of extension 44 in cutout 32, correctpositioning of O-ring 30 with respect to aperture 38 will be insured.

While a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that this invention has been described by way of illustrationand not limitation.

What is claimed is:

l. A slide valve comprising:

means defining a dispensing aperture;

bar means bridging said aperture;

an O-ring seal positioned in said valve member recess, said O-ring sealbeing coaxial with said dispensing aperture with the valve in the closedposition;

means for supporting said valve member for relative movement withrespect to said aperture in a direction generally aligned with said barmeans; and

pin means mounted on said aperture defining means, said pin meanscooperating with said valve member first integral stop to limit themotion of said valve member in the valve opening direction, contactbetween said pin means and said first integral stop being commensuratewith at least a portion of a first end'of said valve member beingwithdrawn from registration with said dispensing aperture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said valve member comprises:

an elongated slide, said slide having at said first end thereof a cutoutwhich cooperates with said dispensing aperture to terminate flow throughsaid valve.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated slide furthercomprises:

a recess in a first edge thereof, said first edge being generallytransverse to said first planar surface and said recess being defined byspaced shoulders, at least a first of said shoulders comprising saidfirst integral stop.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said pin means comprises:

a spring pin mounted on said supporting means, said spring pin extendingtransversely to the direction of motion of said slide and being locatedin the region of said recess in said first edge of said slide.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said supporting means comprises:

a downwardly extending projection of said aperture defining means, saidprojection defining a pair of parallel oppositely facing recessedgrooves.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said slide is generally T-shaped incross-section.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said cutout in said first end ofsaid slide terminates in an arcuate portion having a radius equal to theradius of said dispensing aperture.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said dispensing aperture definingmeans comprises:

a reservoir for a fluid to be dispensed, said reservoir having a base, acircular hole in said base forming the dispensing aperture.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said bar means comprises:

a portion of the base of said reservoir defining means which defines adiameter of said dispensing aperture.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cutout in said first end ofsaid slide terminates in an arcuate portion having a radius equal to theradius of said dispensing aperture.

1. A slide valve comprising: means defining a dispensing aperture; barmeans bridging said aperture; a valve member cooperating with saidaperture to perform a valving action, said valve member being providedwith an annular recess in a first planar surface thereof which facessaid aperture defining means, said recess having an inner diameter inexcess of the diameter of said dispensing aperture, said valve memberfurther having at least a first integral stop thereon; an O-ring sealpositioned in said valve member recess, said Oring seal being coaxialwith said dispensing aperture with the valve in the closed position;means for supporting said valve member for relative movement withrespect to said aperture in a direction generally aligned with said barmeans; and pin means mounted on said aperture defining means, said pinmeans cooperating with said valve member first integral stop to limitthe motion of said valve member in the valve opening direction, contactbetween said pin means aNd said first integral stop being commensuratewith at least a portion of a first end of said valve member beingwithdrawn from registration with said dispensing aperture.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said valve member comprises: an elongatedslide, said slide having at said first end thereof a cutout whichcooperates with said dispensing aperture to terminate flow through saidvalve.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated slide furthercomprises: a recess in a first edge thereof, said first edge beinggenerally transverse to said first planar surface and said recess beingdefined by spaced shoulders, at least a first of said shoulderscomprising said first integral stop.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 whereinsaid pin means comprises: a spring pin mounted on said supporting means,said spring pin extending transversely to the direction of motion ofsaid slide and being located in the region of said recess in said firstedge of said slide.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said supportingmeans comprises: a downwardly extending projection of said aperturedefining means, said projection defining a pair of parallel oppositelyfacing recessed grooves.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said slideis generally T-shaped in cross-section.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6wherein said cutout in said first end of said slide terminates in anarcuate portion having a radius equal to the radius of said dispensingaperture.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said dispensing aperturedefining means comprises: a reservoir for a fluid to be dispensed, saidreservoir having a base, a circular hole in said base forming thedispensing aperture.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said bar meanscomprises: a portion of the base of said reservoir defining means whichdefines a diameter of said dispensing aperture.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein said cutout in said first end of said slide terminatesin an arcuate portion having a radius equal to the radius of saiddispensing aperture.